Run: 2026-02-19-01KHTRFJH52RTGSJ10KC3FCK32

The rain lashed Harlow's face as she pursued the suspect through the shadowed streets of London. Her hand grip tightened on the revolver in her right hand. Her eyes trained forward, fixated on the figure sprinting ahead. Tomás' scarlet parka flapped behind him like a bloody wound. He risked a glance over his shoulder, his dark eyes widening at the sight of the detective in hot pursuit. "Stop! Metropolitan Police!" Harlow bellowed, her voice nearly drowned out by the downpour. Tomás put on a burst of speed, darting down a narrowing alleyway. Harlow gritted her teeth and followed, her boots splashing through puddles. Her muscles burned from the exertion. The alley ended at a wrought-iron gate, locked with an ornate keyhole. But the bars of the gate were rusted through. Harlow holstered her gun and grabbed the gate, wrenching it open with a tortured groan. She slipped through the gap just as Tomás reached the end of another alley. He stopped abruptly and crouched over something at the mouth of the alley. Harlow froze. She couldn't see what he was doing, but his tense posture indicated he was manipulating arcane forces. The hairs on her arms stood up. Suddenly, a circle of rocks in the center of the alleyway ignited with eerie blue fire. Wisps of mist rose from the stones. A silhouette shimmered within the dyed smoke. Tomás adrenaline surged. He'd found an old Veil Market portal, still active despite long having been abandoned. A secret passage used by the supernatural community for centuries, never found by the mundane authorities. Harlow had tracked him to the edge of his world, and now he could make his escape. He took a step into the hovering arch of blue flame. But then came the shout from behind him. "STOP!" He froze. Harlow's gun was leveled at his back. She stood at the entrance of the alley, framed by the rain and the streetlights beyond, her wet hair plastered to her face. Tomatoes firing fingers and could shoot with the speed of thought. He weighed his options. "Tomás Herrera, I'm arresting you on suspicion of illegal possession of..." The detective's words came out in short breaths. She didn't know. Of course, she didn't. She was a human, and human eyes could not perceive the supernatural. Or maybe she's just playing dumb. He slowly raised his hands. And laughed. "You don't know a damn thing, Detective." The melodic Spanish accent did nothing to hide the derision edging his voice. "If you truly want to understand what I possess, you'll have to come through my world. But I warn you...this is no place for the faint of heart." With that, he stepped forward and passed through the arc of blue fire. The border of stones flickered brighter for a moment, then went still as he vanished. Harlow darted forward, holstering her weapon. She reached the portal just as it fizzled out with an acrid hiss, leaving only a vacant stretch of cobblestone alley. TheseenStudded hood of Tomás' parka lies on the ground near the middle of it. Harlow's chest heaved with labored breaths as she stared at the spot where the portal had been, debating her next move. Her heart hammered. The Veil Market. She'd heard the rumors, but it was only ever whispered about in superstitious tones. A place where everything from passed-down magical potions to trafficked soul-curse daggers changed hands. But she and DCI Glassdown had been sniffing around the supernatural community in Soho for months now. If what they suspected was true, the clique's dealings went straight to the top. They needed solid proof, and fast, before they could even think about a raid on this place. If she was going to back down now, she needed to turn around and forget she'd ever followed Herrera down here. Take her beat on the case back to HQ and put in for her papers. Let him go. She picked up his discarded parka. The fabric still held warmth from his body. Something told her there would be no turning back after this moment.